By Easton standards, Dunsby is a newcomer, having lived in town for a decade or so. He will square off against Easton Coalition candidate Val Buckley, a Republican, who has been director of the Easton Senior Center for more than 20 years.

The Republican Town Committee's vacancy subcommittee held a two-hour emergency meeting Friday night to figure out who its candidate ought to be.

"There was a lot of tension because of the short time before the election. Really, the campaign should have started by now," said one member of the panel who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There was campaign material that was already on its way to the printer that had to be canceled."

Before choosing Dunsby, some on the vacancy subcommittee wanted to interview prospective candidates or reconsider others who had been passed over.

Herrmann did not return phone calls from Hearst Connecticut Newspapers seeking comment, but he did provide a statement Sunday night that he intends to mail to constituents on Monday.

"While the first selectman position is technically a part-time job, I believe very strongly that Easton needs and deserves a hands-on first selectman, someone who is in Town Hall on a daily basis and fully available to manage town employees and respond to pressing issues as they arise," Herrmann said in the statement. "As some of you know, I accepted CEO responsibilities at a company in Ohio last winter. I am out of town a minimum of two days each week. A position I believed would be temporary has recently become a longer-term obligation, with a large time commitment ... Thus, much as I would like to continue serving as first selectman, I believe it is unfair to the town to begin a fourth term that I would be unable to complete."